Archive for the ‘Woodworking’ Category

I make a wide variety of things now … but I love making cutting boards.

Having survived loved my wonderful cook of a wife for 40+ years now, I appreciate how a good kitchen tool can make all of the difference.

Happy wife, happy life.

I make cutting boards with her voice in my ear telling me what works & what doesn’t. I combine those, uh, suggestions with my love of color and symmetry to deliver cutting boards that will last you for decades.

In 2018, I ramped up production at the end of the year to have a wide variety of boards for the big, big events that preceded the holidays. This board was the 400th piece in my inventory – the first time ever that I’ve had that many things ready for sale at one time.

Rare air. It lasted for a weekend … and then inventory dove as the holiday season progressed. Back to the shop!

I started making trivets to protect tables & counters – and food! – soon after I got my CNC. They continue to be a top seller … even though they confuse many people who don’t understand what this odd looking thing is when they pick it up in my booth.

Maybe I’ll have more time for that soon!

Trivets are 8-1/2″ square, with heat vents in a diagonal pattern across the top and bottom of the trivet. Each trivet is 3/4″ thick, and they nearly always feature a fun color pattern of hardwoods. I do occasionally make trivets with just one species of wood, though I’ve found most people prefer the colorful versions.

Meanwhile, I am now making coasters with cork inserts to protect tables & desks from hot & cold drinks – and condensation.

Everyone knows what a coaster is, thank goodness!

These have always been colorful. I’m yet to try a single species of wood for a coaster. Hmmmm. Maybe next time.

I do a lot of wedding & anniversary gifts. Here you see several different styles … as well as a couple of other special orders thrown in.

I have a love/hate relationship with special orders, honestly. Keeping track of them, their individual deadlines & extra steps required for the personalization is another record keeping system that I have to maintain to stay on top of these orders. It’s a wonderful thing, truly – who wouldn’t want to be a part of a wedding as a gift supplier? Lots of love there, and that’s a good thing.

A very good thing.

Also shown are a sign for a restored car’s dash (the Beach Bug sign). It’s a carved sign with painted letters. Similar techniques were used with the making of the final piece, that shows the longitude & latitude for the happy couple’s meeting, engagement & wedding.

Only a couple more new signs this time: the collection of signs for my booth is just about complete.

I’m out of wall space, for one.

And, now that the display is built out, it’s time to see if people really like these signs enough to buy them, or if they just like to point and laugh. Either way, I think I’ve accomplished my original goal of making the booth more attractive and interesting.

This weekend, I head north to do my first-ever Harvest Festival in San Mateo. This series of events is what the serious vendors do in California.

Time to see if I am serious enough.

Nah. Time to see if I’m happy enough. That’s the ticket.

I’ll be taking my indoor booth setup with 4 mesh walls, and I’ll be setting up a 10’x20′ booth. Hope it all works: after a week in the midwest dealing with the death of a loved one, I’m not sure if going a-vendoring will be a relief or another in a long list of really difficult days.

Time will tell.

Meanwhile, these are the signs that are going with me. Some are new, some are replacements for signs I’ve sold … and all hope to be entertaining.

It took me far too long to begin seriously making cribbage boards. When I started … I couldn’t stop. I can’t stop.

I’m obsessed.

I’m currently in the throes of preparation for the largest holiday events, and this year, I’ve committed myself to two very large events. So, I had to get to making. And that’s what I did, as you will see.

These cribbage boards are uniquely designed so you can combine the top of your choice with the bottom of your choice. Two styles are offered: a 3-track, oval design and a 4-track round design.

You get to choose.

I trust that these will prove popular with holiday gift givers. The initial reaction to these has been rather spectacular, honestly, so as I’ve built out more & more options … well, I now have 4 containers filled with, uh, options.

Here are the latest.

Still to come: a simpler 2-track version. God willing, the first ones of those will be done before Thanksgiving.

Since I’ve finally broken through and started making cribbage boards, I’m getting obsessed. Variations abound, and I’m only scratching the surface.

Last weekend, I sold more cribbage boards than cutting boards. That’s a sobering thought … especially since so many people comment that this is a game for old folks that so few play anymore.

But then, people also tell me that no one uses wooden cutting boards, either.

I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, and people get to choose. That seems to be working out so far!

All cribbage boards are finished with lacquer. They are not cutting boards (yes, I’ve been asked), and they are not food ready. They do, however, come with the cards and pegs for playing, held in the convenient storage slots under the top. All of these sets are customizable: any 4-track set top can go with any 4-track set bottom (the 4-tracks are the round ones, about 14″ in diameter). The oval sets are 3-tracks, and are 10″ x 14″.

A year ago – A YEAR AGO – I brought out my first cribbage boards. They were simple pieces, and I knew I could do better. So, it was back to the drawing board computer for some Research & Development.

I bought some Cribbage Pegs. I bought some playing cards. I wanted to offer complete sets.

I got better at using the CNC.

And today, I’m pleased to show you the first 4 new prototypes of the Cribbage Boards I’ve developed. There are 2 sizes.

The oval board has a 3-player track, and is 9″ x 14″ x 1-3/4″.

The round board has a 4-player track, and is 14″ in diameter, and 1-3/4″ thick.

Both styles offer you the opportunity to customize both the top and the bottom.

The top can be engraved with your name or other words that celebrate an occasion, anniversary, etc. The top can be engraved on the top side or even on the bottom side of the lid, if you prefer. If you’d rather have visuals engraved, I can do 3D engraving as you see below. Since the engraving is the star, wood designs shown here are simple, in either Hard Maple or Cherry. Note that woods can be stained, as the carved bass design is. Carved words can be painted, as the name is painted on the example, below.

The bottom can be any wood design you like. Here, you see Hard Maple, Black Walnut or a striped version that has Hard Maple, Cherry & Bloodwood. Any combination is possible.

Pegs & playing cards are included with both sizes (the large round board comes with 2 decks). Finish is a penetrating oil stain (in the case of the bass & alligator), and then all pieces are finished with spray lacquer.

We remodeled our kitchen several years ago, and were hosting a dinner party soon after. Mrs M had cooked a vegetable lasagna, as I recall, in a glass 9×13. She took the dish out of the oven and sat it directly on the counter. The hot dish touched the cool stone counter, and the glass dish cracked immediately.

The dinner party was fine, but this dish … not so much. It broke, for wont of protection.

These trivets were on display at our last event, and the last pair on this page are made from Hard Maple. Only. They are noticeably plainer than most of my trivets … but I do like to shake it up for those that want a simpler design. In any event, one customer picked them up and said, “These just look like a mistake.”

To each their own. If you like them plain, or if you like them “stripey,” I am here to help protect your hot stuff.

These trivets are 8-1/2″ square, 3/4″ thick, and made from a wide variety of hardwoods. Finish is mineral oil.

Such is the human drama I inspire when I go a-vendoring. Who wouldn’t love that?

I’m sometimes asked if these are cutting boards. Well, yes, they could be. However, I believe cutting on hearts is not something we should want to do. Surgeons, perhaps. Cooks? Not so much. I think these are serving pieces, not cutting boards. Buy one, and then you’ll get to choose who gets to cut on your heart.

This weekend, I’m going a bit far afield as I go a-vendoring. It will be my first out-of-state solo event for Mr M’s Woodshop! I’ll be at Faire on the Square in Prescott, AZ. I’m leaving Mrs M at home so she can work at her “job,” and I’m doing a holiday weekend road trip.

Pulling the trailer. Putting up the big canopy, solo. Running the booth, solo. Staying at an AirBnB, bachelor style.